Mind the Gap: The Case for Mindfulness at Work

Speaker: Matthew Bellows – YesWare (@mbellows)

Growth Pressure

YesWare investors are looking for TTD growth (triple-triple-double):

• 3x revenue growth year 1
• 3x revenue growth year 2
• 2x revenue growth year 3

Gaps in Life

All experiences have gaps. Life is a string of moments strung together with gaps. At the speed at which we’re moving, we can’t see the gaps. Learning to recognize the gap and appreciate it is a critical management skill.

Two types of thinking:

• System 1: Fast thinking
• System 2: Slow thinking

The gap that Buddhists talk about is the gap between System 1 and System 2 thinking. If you ignore the gap, you apply System 1 thinking to System 2 problems, which is bad.

When you react badly as a manager, you create emotional baggage that continues past the moment with your employees.

When the actions of managers match their words, you get higher profit:

• 2.5% of profit for each .125 point improvement on a scale matching how much managers do what they say they do

To avoid reacting badly and experiencing these costs, we need a plan.

The Plan

To find the gap, you need to create more time:

• Perception of time varies
• As an exercise, sit quietly for 30 seconds

You can change your experience of time by practicing.

Headspace is an app for mindfulness. 5-10 minute guided daily meditation. YesWare pays employees to use Headspace after the 30 day trial.

How To Spot the Gap

The three poisons–the three root neurosis:

• Passion: the desire to cling to something
• Aggression: Counterattack. Anything threatening is attacked pre-emptively
• Ignorance: Procrastination, not caring

When you notice these emotions arising, that’s when you look for the gap

Practice 5-10 minutes a day, so when conflicts arise, you can recognize the gap and change the situation.

Others Doing It

• Intel – 100,000 employees doing mindfulness
• Google

Aetna discovered better health outcomes for people doing mindfulness.

Respond, Don’t React

• A reaction is an immediate gut action
• A response is a considered thoughtful action

How do you meditate when you’re under huge time pressure?

• You don’t have to go slowly, just pay attention to the speed. Pay attention to the moments, regardless of how fast they are coming.
• Take time to consciously breathe. It helps you reconnect with your body when things are moving fast.

The Art of Power – Book on business and mindfulness

“If you can’t laugh at yourself, you’re going to miss a lot of jokes.” – Matthew’s son

YesWare

• Every employee has access to an executive coach, access to a gym, access to the Headspace mindfulness program
• They don’t track specific usage on any one thing. Overall, about 30-40% of employees take advantage of all the programs they offer